CHASE KNIFFEN
Award-winning director of plays, musicals, and
theatre for young audiences.
Most recently directed and designed the first ever production of Watcher in the Woods - A New Musical with an all-star company in New York City.
Winner of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2016 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his productions of The Sound of Music, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Spring Awakening, The Color Purple, and Dreamgirls.
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MFA in Directing from Pace University (2022)
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B.A. in Theatre (Set Design Focus) / History Minor from Virginia Commonwealth University (2019)
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Associate Artistic Director of Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond, Virginia (2010-2018)
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Directed critically-acclaimed and award-winning productions of Fun Home, Violet, A Christmas Story, Gypsy, South Pacific, Next to Normal, Caroline, or Change, and Other Desert Cities.
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Founding Artistic Director of Richmond's Stage 1 Theatre Company. Directed and choreographed productions of tick, tick...BOOM!, Children's Letters to God, Nor-mal, and Summer of '42. Each of these productions was nominated for multiple Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including Best Direction of a Musical and Best Musical (2008-2009)
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Attended Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City (2004)
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StyleWeekly Top 40 Under 40 for work in the Richmond Arts Community.